As he always does around this time of year, CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco released his list of the Top 100 players in the NFL. Once again, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes checks in at the very top of said list. That is wholly unsurprising.
There are some surprises on there, though, even if they don't come inside the top 10. And because Prisco does this every year, we can also compare this season's list to 2023's, with an eye toward spotlighting the biggest risers and fallers from one year to the next, as well as the highest-ranked players who were new entries this season, and the highest-ranked players who dropped off the list entirely.
First up, the 10 biggest risers and the 10 biggest fallers between 2023 and 2024 in Prisco's Top 100 list.
| Biggest Risers (2024 Top 100) | Change | Biggest Fallers (2024 Top 100) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals DL Trey Hendrickson (No. 33) | +58 | Cowboys OL Zack Martin (No. 94) | -69 |
| Lions OL Penei Sewell (No. 17) | +49 | Ravens RB Derrick Henry (No. 91) | -61 |
| Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (No. 39) | +44 | Titans DL Jeffery Simmons (No. 95) | -52 |
| Ravens LB Roquan Smith (No. 40) | +36 | Packers CB Jaire Alexander (No. 64) | -43 |
| Falcons OL Chris Lindstrom (No. 28) | +30 | Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (No. 62) | -39 |
| Eagles OL Jordan Mailata (No. 32) | +28 | Eagles OL Lane Johnson (No. 52) | -34 |
| Raiders DL Maxx Crosby (No. 11) | +27 | Steelers DB Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 71) | -30 |
| Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (No. 21) | +27 | Dolphins DB Jalen Ramsey (No. 43) | -29 |
| Panthers DL Derrick Brown (No. 59) | +23 | Giants DL Brian Burns (No. 96) | -29 |
| Buccaneers OL Tristan Wirfs (No. 24) | +22 | Buccaneers LB Lavonte David (No. 97) | -26 |
After a bounce-back season during which he more than doubled his sack total, Hendrickson made the biggest jump of any player who was in the Top 100 in both 2023 and 2024. This was his third double-digit sack campaign in the last four years. The Lions' stars each got paid in a big way this offseason, reflecting their high-level performance through the first three years of their careers. Sewell has emerged as one of the NFL's top tackles regardless of which side he plays, while St. Brown is perhaps the league's best slot receiver.
Smith made his fourth consecutive All-Pro team in 2023, which marked his second First Team appearance. Since arriving in Baltimore, he has taken his game to another level. Lindstrom is heading into the prime of his career and is universally considered one of the top few guards in the game. He's made back-to-back Pro Bowls and All-Pro Second Teams. Mailata is one of the most surprising elite tackles in the NFL, but that's exactly what he's grown into. He and Lane Johnson will now be counted on to hold down the line without Jason Kelce.
Crosby seemingly just keeps getting better. Three consecutive Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams, leading the league in tackles for loss in back-to-back seasons, a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2023 ... and he plays basically every snap. Lamb led the NFL in catches last season and has now increased his totals in catches, yards and touchdowns in every season he's been in the league. The progression for solid rookie to Pro Bowler to Second Team All-Pro to First-Teamer and third place in Offensive Player of the Year voting has been a remarkable one.
Brown is one of the best run stoppers in the NFL, a mammoth of a man at 6-5, 320 pounds. He doesn't have huge numbers, but that's by virtue of his role. Wirfs moving from the right side of the line to the left and somehow getting better was pretty incredible, and he deservedly moved way up the list.
A few of the biggest fallers dropped largely due to age. That's the case for Martin, Henry, Johnson and David, to be sure. You could argue the same is true of Ramsey, though he did have something of a down year by his standards. Simmons missed some time and backslid along with the rest of Tennessee's defense, Alexander played only seven games, Fitzpatrick played 10, Lawrence plateaued in Year 2 under Doug Pederson and Burns wasn't quite as effective rushing the passer as he was the year before.
Below we'll break down which players made the list this year, and which ones dropped out.
| New Entries (Top 100) | Rank | Dropped Out (Top 100) | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars DL Josh Allen | 23 | Rams DL Aaron Donald (retired) | 9 |
| Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie | 30 | Texans WR Stefon Diggs | 20 |
| Buccaneers DB Antoine Winfield Jr. | 31 | Giants OL Andrew Thomas | 24 |
| Bears DB Jaylon Johnson | 34 | Rams WR Cooper Kupp | 26 |
| Texans DL Danielle Hunter | 35 | Browns RB Nick Chubb | 33 |
| Ravens DB Kyle Hamilton | 36 | Colts RB Jonathan Taylor | 36 |
| Texans QB C.J. Stroud | 38 | Steelers DL Cameron Heyward | 39 |
| Falcons DB Jessie Bates III | 44 | Eagles OL Jason Kelce (retired) | 42 |
| 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk | 45 | Bills DL Von Miller | 44 |
| Ravens DL Justin Madubuike | 46 | Chargers DB Derwin James | 45 |
Then we have our new entries to the list. Unsurprisingly, most of these players are on the younger side. Allen is 26, McDuffie is 23, Winfield is 25, Johnson is 25, Hamilton is 23, Stroud is 22, Aiyuk is 26, Madubuike is 26. Even Bates is 27. And veteran Hunter (29) is still south of 30. Each of those players is coming off a season where they made the Pro Bowl, one of the two All-Pro teams or both.
Conversely, the list of players who dropped out of Prisco's Top 100 includes two players who retired in Donald and Kelce. Diggs just turned 30, Kupp is 31 and coming off an injury-marred season, Chubb is 28 and coming off an absolutely massive injury, Heyward and Miller are each 35. Even Taylor missed a bunch of time last season due to an injury/contract dispute. The only players who fell out seemingly solely for performance reasons are Thomas and James.